Insulation member for use with a stator assembly and method of assembling the stator assembly

Abstract

An insulation member for use with a stator assembly is provided. The insulation member includes a body and a cuff. The body includes a first end and an opposite second end, at least one tooth portion, and at least one yoke portion that extends from the at least one tooth portion. The cuff is formed from at least one of the first end and the second end of the body and extends along at least one of the at least one tooth portion and at least one yoke portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A stator assembly including a plurality of stator segments, the stator assembly comprising:
 a core comprising a plurality of teeth and at least one end face; 
 an insulation member positioned between adjacent teeth of said core, said insulation member comprising:
 a body including a first end and an opposite second end, said body comprising at least one tooth portion, a first yoke portion that extends from said at least one tooth portion, a second yoke portion, and a connection portion extending between said first and second yoke portions; and 
 a cuff formed from at least one of the first end and the second end of said body, said cuff extending along at least one of said at least one tooth portion and said at least one yoke portion, wherein said cuff comprises a flap folded over said body defining a bent portion of said cuff, the bent portion extending continuously along said at least one tooth portion, said first and second yoke portions, and said connection portion, and wherein said insulation member is positioned such that a tip of said flap is spaced a distance from said at least one end face; and 
 
 an end cap coupled to said at least one end face, wherein at least a portion of said end cap is positioned in the spaced distance between said at least one end face and said tip of said flap; and 
 a wire wound about at least one of said plurality of teeth such that said insulation member is positioned between said core tooth and said wire. 
 
     
     
       2. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said body comprises a first tooth portion and a second tooth portion, said at least one yoke portion extending between said first and second tooth portions. 
     
     
       3. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said cuff is formed from only said at least one tooth portion, said first yoke portion, said second yoke portion and said connection portion. 
     
     
       4. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said flap extends along at least a portion of a length of said body. 
     
     
       5. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said insulation member comprises at least one of a polyester material and a paper material. 
     
     
       6. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein the paper material has a thickness of approximately 0.001 inches. 
     
     
       7. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 5 , wherein the polyester material has a thickness of approximately 0.01 inches. 
     
     
       8. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said connection portion comprises a first bend, a second bend, and a third bend. 
     
     
       9. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein an angle of said connection portion is defined at the second bend, the angle from about 15° to about 45° when the plurality of stator segments are arranged linearly. 
     
     
       10. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the angle is approximately 0° when the plurality of stator segments are arranged annularly. 
     
     
       11. The stator assembly in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein said insulation member body comprises a foot portion extending from said at least one tooth portion, said foot portion configured to retain said wire therein. 
     
     
       12. A method of assembling a stator assembly including a plurality of stator segments, each stator segment including at least a portion of a core, at least a portion of an end cap, and at least a portion of an insulation member, wherein the core includes a tooth having at least one end face, the insulation member including a body having a first end and an opposite second end, at least one tooth portion, a first yoke portion that extends from the at least one tooth portion, a second yoke portion, and a connection portion extending between the first and second yoke portions, said method comprising:
 forming a cuff from the insulation member along at least one of the tooth portion and the at least one yoke portion, wherein forming the cuff includes folding a flap over the body defining a bent portion of the cuff, the bent portion extending continuously along the at least one tooth portion, the first and second yoke portions, and the connection portion; 
 positioning the at least one insulation member such that a tip of the flap is spaced from the at least one end face, and such that the portion of the end cap is positioned between the at least one end face and the tip of the flap; and 
 winding wire about the core tooth such that the at least one tooth portion of the insulation member is positioned between the core tooth and the wire. 
 
     
     
       13. The method in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein forming a cuff further comprises:
 extending the flap from at least one of the first end and the second end of the body; and 
 folding the flap over the body. 
 
     
     
       14. The method in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein forming a cuff further comprises extending the flap from each of the first end and the second end of the body such that the core tooth is positioned between the cuffs formed from each respective flap. 
     
     
       15. The method in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein positioning the at least one insulation member further comprises positioning the at least one insulation member to extend between adjacent teeth of the core such that the insulation member spans across a slot defined between the adjacent teeth. 
     
     
       16. The method in accordance with  claim 12  further comprising arranging a plurality of the stator segments annularly to form a stator ring.